A Welcome Diversion

It was a double brush with greatness on Sunday, as local legend Arthur Nakane was performing his famous one-man band in Little Tokyo’s Japanese Village Plaza. A bearded stranger seemed very interested in Nakane’s music and stopped for a long while, to chat and listen to songs.

“I did not know who he was while I was talking to him and playing songs for him and his lovely daughter,” Nakane reported about the man who went by the name Guillermo.

“I was addressing him many times over the microphone, and many people began to make a big fuss, asking him to pose for photos with him. Then I remembered vaguely seeing him on award shows, such as the Academy Awards on TV.”

The man turned out to be Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro, who no doubt was looking for some calm relaxation on what must have been a very stressful weekend. One of his homes, filled with priceless horror movie memorabilia, was among those threatened by the Southern California wildfires. It has been reported that his property escaped any serious damage.

Nakane said the “Shape of Water” director was all too happy to join him for a photo. “I asked him, ‘Guillermo, you must be famous … Are you an actor?’ He smiled and said, ‘No… I make movies, here and there.’”

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The Rafu Shimpo has been the nation's leading Japanese American newspaper since its original publication. We are proud to have served the Japanese American community from our Little Tokyo office in Downtown Los Angeles since 1903.